Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-11-12
THE GOTHAM ANARCHISTS.


What They Said and Did During the Fatal
Hangman's Day.
NEW YORK, Nov. 12-Intense excitement
prevailed on the east side all Thursday night
and Friday morning in the neighborhood of
First and Second avenues and Houston and
Sixth streets, where the Anarchists are wont
to congregate The German saloons were
filled to their utmost with the sympathizers
Of the condemned men in Chicago, and nu-
merous threats were made in case the men
should be hanged.
Herr Schevitch, the Socialistic leader, was
In his office on Williams street early Friday
morning. He looked, as he said he felt,
"very solemn" 1T is the grossest outrage
ever perpetrated in America, he said Il
always have maintained, and still maintain,
that the men are innocent of murder or Of
any attempt to murder On the night OF
May 4, 1886, they were engaged in holding
peaceable meeting, which was about to dis
perse when it was brutally attacked by the
police Some unknown person threw bomb
which inflicted as much injury to the An
archists as to the others. The hanging of the
men marks turning point in the history Of
the nation"
The entrance to Johann Most's Frieheit
Office was draped with red flag, having be-
meath it a written notice, mo reporters are
admitted in this office" The reporter en-
tered, notwithstanding the warning. The
Anarchist leader was not in. A number Of
printers in red undershirts pointed to the
doors with one accord, and said in chorus
1io out"
Mr.. George C. Block, leading Socialist
and editor of the German Bakers Journal,
said: while am not and never was sym
pathizer with anarchy l am sorry these men
are to be executed. IL will tend to build up
anarchy rather than decrease it, and that is
not what We want 1t will have demon
alizing effect, too, upon trades unionism. The
public have no idea how many sympathizers
| the Anarchists have among union men, and
numbers of them will join the Anarchists out
| of revenge on capital"
About 1000 members of the various trades
organizations, particularly the German
branches, observed the day as holiday, and
| resolutions will be presented to the Central
Labor union Sunday asking that Nov. II be
made holiday for laboring men for all time
to come
| Justus Schwab closed his saloon at the
hour the Anarchists were expected to be
hanged. He and some of his adherents wore
crepe They went to Paul Nilzig's saloon
and met number of coDgenial spirits.
There was a sort of meeting of protest
Afterward Schwab reopened his saloon and
had big Anarchist trade. There was ast
an Anarchist meeting at August Schlag's sa-
loon. Police in plain clothes watched bott
places Herr Most was seen in the Bow
cry. He said there would be M
demonstration He cursed the newspapers
and said they were the real mur1erers. They
had caused the hangings. Col. Hinton
.. Julius Bordello and a number of others held I
meeting at the office of The Leader, which
has just ceased publication. They indulgeC
in bitter speeches. Hinton said: THE dead
men will he amply avenged, They can as
sassinate four men, but 1900 will spring NJ
to emulate them in their fight agains
tyranny"
At this Point reporters were excluded from
the room. Meetings Of several Anarchis
groups we're held at night, and resolution
were adopted to wear crepe for thirty days
A saloon in Newark, n. j., was draped out
side with mourning cloth. The place is a re
sort of the eighty or ninety Anarchists resid
ing in Newark.